The present invention relates generally to vehicle seat mounting mechanisms. More specifically, the present invention relates to mechanisms used to mount vehicle seats which enable the seats to slide forward and rearward.
Vehicle seats which are able to slide forward and rearward in a vehicle are well known. Commonly, vehicle seats are mounted onto a pair of slide tracks which allow the vehicle seat to be slidably located in various positions. A vehicle seat which is slidably mounted has many advantages. It allows for passengers of various sizes to adjust the seat and ride comfortably in the vehicle. Being able to slidably adjust the position of a vehicle seat also facilitates cleaning of the area adjacent the vehicle seat.
Most United States vehicle manufacturers use a slide adjuster assembly having a pair of slide tracks for a vehicle seat which utilizes four bolts, spaced apart in a rectangular configuration. However, each such vehicle manufacturer spaces the four bolts at slightly different locations. For example, the vehicle seat slide adjuster assembly currently manufactured by Chrysler Corporation for full size seats includes four bolts spaced in a rectangular pattern, with the front bolts spaced from the rear bolts at an approximate distance of 12.00 inches. The bolts are spaced side-to-side by approximately 14.72 inches.
In comparison, the vehicle seat slide adjuster currently made by General Motors for its full size seat has a front-to-rear spacing of approximately 13.31 inches and a side-to-side spacing of approximately 14.00 inches. The following table lists approximate spacing dimensions for representative vehicle seat slide adjusters of current manufacture.
______________________________________ FRONT/REAR WIDTH APPLICATION SPACING SPACING ______________________________________ Chrysler--full-size 12.00" 14.72" General Motors--full-size 13.31" 14.00" Ford--full size 13.31" 14.00" General Motors--Astro 14.00" 12.875" Secondary Seating (narrow) 11.50" 8.00" Secondary Seating (wide) 11.50" 14.00" ______________________________________
Generally, each OEM manufacturer uses an arrangement which provides sufficient support to carry the weight of the seat as well as a passenger riding thereon. Thus, a manufacturer which utilizes a relatively larger dimension in one direction generally uses a shorter dimension in the transverse direction.
In the past, the industry standard after-market pattern used by all manufacturers had a front/rear spacing of 11.50 inches, and a width spacing of 8 inches. However, recent federal legislation, FMVSS-208, has reclassified conversion vans and trucks as passenger vehicles. Thus, additional safety requirements must be met. Because of these added safety requirements, certain manufacturers are requiring that OEM components must be used. For example, a manufacturer may require that its seat pedestal or seat slide adjuster assembly be used.
These manufacturer requirements have thus forced the after-market seat frame manufacturers to adapt to various OEM mounting patterns. Because each seat manufacturer may adopt different spacing dimensions, the after-market manufacturers are faced with slide adjusters having differing spacing dimensions. Thus, each after-market seat manufacturer has had to produce several seat designs to conform to the various vehicle seat slide adjusters. This is expensive, both in manufacturing costs as well as inventory costs.
In addition to the spacing requirements of the various manufacturers seat slide adjusters, all van and truck seats must also conform to OEM standards for mounting to ensure a proper seating reference point is attained. The seating reference point, or SRP, is needed to maintain the proper angle between the seat belts and the vehicle seat frame. This is needed so that the seat belt may maintain a proper level of performance throughout the sliding motion of the vehicle seat from rearward to forward.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanism which allows a vehicle seat to be attached to any vehicle slide adjuster of current design and dimension.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism which allows a vehicle seat to be attached to a slide adjuster which is both efficient to manufacture and to maintain in inventory.
These and other objects are attained by a uni-brace mechanism which allows for a vehicle seat to be attached to any vehicle seat slide adjuster of current manufacture. The mechanism includes a front bracket and a rear bracket, spaced apart and attached to the underside of a vehicle seat. Each bracket includes at least one pair of receiving holes, and corresponding engagement holes spaced apart from each receiving hole. The set of engagement holes surrounding each receiving hole are spaced at predetermined distances from one another so as to conform to the spacing and dimensions of the rectangular bolt pattern found on the vehicle seat slide adjuster of the various manufacturers designs.
To secure the vehicle seat slide adjuster to the vehicle seat, the proper set of engagement holes is chosen to match the spacing of the bolts on the vehicle seat slide adjuster. A pal nut is then inserted through each receiving hole and into engagement with the proper corresponding engagement hole. The pal nut includes a hub with an internal thread therein, which is positioned within the engagement hole. The bolts on the vehicle seat slide adjuster are threaded into the hub to retain the vehicle seat slide adjuster to the brackets, and thus to the vehicle seat.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.